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Tide gauges and applications

Coastal tide gauges supply sea level water height measurements. In some cases they have been doing so for almost four centuries. Originally deployed for navigation and tidal prediction, their fields of application have widened considerably, from coastal engineering and littoral development to precise knowledge of variations in sea level linked to extreme events (storms, tsunamis etc.) and to climate change. For each of the applications listed, the sea level is a key parameter.

study of the transfer function between the signal observed out at sea using satellite altimetry and that observed on the coast by a tide gauge;

evaluation and validation of the results of satellite altimetry. The drift introduced by the algorithm error, identified in 1996, demonstrated the importance of constantly comparing the results with those obtained using independent measurement techniques;

unification of levelling networks. The reference surfaces of national altitude systems are consistent only to one metre, because each surface is fixed at mean sea level at one point on the coast;

National programs - International Programs - construction of sea level series based on tide gauge measurements

National and international programs use sea level measurements to study various problems.

These include the French program SONEL (Long-term sea level variation observation system) and the international programs GLOSS (Global Sea Level Observing System) and PSMSL (Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level). Clearly, this list is far from exhaustive.

While the GLOSS tide gauges are important to establish an indicator of climate change globally, Woodworth et Blackman (2004) point out that the scientific, economic and social value lies mainly in local variations in sea level that may deviate significantly from the global mean sea level. Constructions and analyses of consistent sea level series from historical data is one way to study these local variations. However, observation systems at all levels are needed in this turbulent environment that is inherently difficult to predict.